HILLSBOROUGH — In today’s world, peace needs to become more than just a word.

On September 21, 2010, Auten Road Intermediate School plans to take part in an international art and literacy project, Pinwheels for Peace, by “planting” pinwheels with messages of peace at Auten Road Intermediate School, according to Hillsborough School District officials.

Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, of Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. In the first year, groups in over 1,325 locations throughout the world were spinning pinwheels on September 21st. There were approximately 500,000 pinwheels spinning throughout the world.

In 2008, over 2.3 million pinwheels were spinning in over 3,000 locations, including the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Locally, Auten Road Intermediate School of the Hillsborough Township Schools will be coordinating the Pinwheels for Peace project this year.

This project is non-political – peace doesn’t necessarily have to be associated with the conflict of war, it can be related to violence/intolerance in our daily lives or to peace of mind. To each of us, peace can take on a different meaning, however, in the end, it all comes down to a simple definition: “a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”

Auten Road Intermediate School will create pinwheels as part of the creation process. The students will write their thoughts about "war and peace / tolerance/ living in harmony with others" on one side. On the other side, they will draw to visually express their feelings. The students will assemble these pinwheels and on International Day of Peace, September 21, 2010, they will "plant" their pinwheels at Auten Road Intermediate School grounds as a public statement and art exhibit/installation.

On September 21, 2010, keep a lookout for the pinwheels – the spinning of the pinwheels in the wind will spread thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country and the world! Imagine “whirled peace”!